NGT announces Rs. 1 lakh fine for dumping e-waste around Ramganga

New Delhi: With an aim to save river Ganga and its tributaries from e-waste dumping by several illegal industries mostly around Moradabad, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday announced Rs. one lakh fine on violators.

The bench headed by Justice Swatanter Kumar said the hazardous e-waste containing heavy metal was polluting the river Ramganga — a tributary of the Ganga.

“Huge quantity of hazardous e-waste generated from various industries is being disposed of in powder form at the banks of Ramganga in Moradabad,” the bench said.

The tribunal also formed a committee comprising officials from the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB), district administration and the Moradabad Municipal Corporation to get the river bank cleaned of the e-waste.

Earlier in April, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had made surprise inspection in Moradabad and found several illegal e-waste industries operating and polluting Ramganga.

The joint inspection team report of the CPCB, UPPCB and the Union Environment Ministry also informed the tribunal that a number of “sealed” and “closed” e-waste industry were operating in densely populated residential areas of Uttar Pradesh.

The report further said that the electricity department had failed to disconnect the connections of 27 illegal units.

According to reports, India is the fifth-largest producer of e-waste, discarding roughly 18.5 lakh metric tonnes of electronic waste annually.